Maule M-4-220C N474W

Summary

On 30 January 1999 at about 01:00 local time, a Maule M-4-220C registered N474W was involved in an accident near Jean, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 January 1999 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Jean, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Jean (0L7)

Coordinates

35.7496, -115.5304

Aircraft

Maule M-4-220C

Registration

N474W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Sandy Valley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99LA084

Nobody was injured.

Fuel starvation due to the pilot's failure to ensure that a tank containing an adequate fuel supply was selected for takeoff. A factor in the accident was the contamination in the engine driven fuel pump, which likely was not capable of providing full system pressure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he had flown to the airport to purchase fuel but was not successful. Therefore, he planned to fly back to his home base airport. The pilot reported that three of his airplane's four fuel tanks were either empty or contained at most 5 gallons of fuel. The pilot selected the left main fuel tank for use during takeoff, and the airplane climbed between 400 and 500 feet before experiencing a total loss of engine power. Thereafter, the pilot made a forced landing beyond the departure end of the runway and collided with the airport's perimeter fence. While still on scene immediately following the accident, the pilot reported that he had evidently exhausted his airplane's fuel supply. Then, the pilot partially disassembled his airplane and moved it from Nevada to North Carolina. About 2 months later, the pilot indicated to the Safety Board investigator that he desired to clarify the initial information which he had provided. According to the pilot, during the accident flight his airplane had contained between 24 and 26 gallons of fuel, but only an estimated 5 gallons of this quantity was in the left main fuel tank, which was selected during takeoff. Additionally, the engine driven fuel pump was examined in North Carolina and was found contaminated with metal shavings and other debris. The rubber diaphragm had small holes and cuts in that could have reduced the pump's ability to deliver full designed pressure. No record was found in the maintenance records that the pump was ever replaced and it is believed that it is an original production installation on the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.